Shoe form



Oct. 26, 1937. w. J. DE WITT SHOE FORM I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1937 W%&/ may Oct. 26, 1937. w. J. DE WlTT SHOE FORM Filed Feb. 19, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Shoe Form 00., Inc.,

ration of New York Auburn, N. Y., a corpo- Application February 19, 1937, Serial No. 126,611

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in shoe forms and particularly in toe forms of flexible resilient material provided with cross braces of the toggle type whereby the side walls of the toe form are expanded or contracted.

The provision of toe forms with cross braces of this general type is old and well known as evidenced, for example, by the DeWitt Patents No. 1,866,018, dated July 5, 1932, No. 2,001,775, dated May 21, 1935 and No. 2,066,098, dated December 29, 1936. The actuation of the cross braces in the forms shown in such patents however is caused by a back part member secured to one or both sections of the cross brace.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a toe form having a cross brace of the toggle type wherein the sections of the cross brace are manually actuated by force exerted directly upon an element of the cross brace, which element further serves to limit the expansion of the form and to prevent any contracting action of the cross brace under the impulse of an advancing force. Another object is to provide in such a toe form a cross brace comprising two secboth sections are pivotally secured and upon which force is directly exerted to expand or contract the form, said element including means which are brought into contact with the sections when the form is expanded to limit further movement of the sections and which may in addition, if desired, yieldably lock the cross brace in the form expanding position. A further object of this invention resides in the formation of one cross brace section so that when the form is expanded means included in the first named section will bear against the other section and serve not only as a limit stop, but also to set up a yieldable resistance against further response of the brace to the impulse of an advancing force.

These and other objects will appear from an examination of the following description of the invention and of the drawings which form a part thereof, and in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a toe form embodying this invention, in the fully expanded position, the top of the form having been removed to reveal parts which would otherwise be concealed;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 of the toe form in the partially contracted position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the central portion of the cross brace in the position shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the central .tions and an intermediate element to whichportion of the cross brace modified in one respect;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively illustrating another embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged elevation view of the central portion of the cross brace in the position shown in Fig. 5.

This invention is embodied in a toe form II] of buckram, celluloid or other flexible resilient material, having side walls I I which terminate in inwardly facing ball flanges I2. The various embodiments disclosed as illustrative of the invention differ only in the structure of the cross brace,

' and hence the toe form walls and flanges will be indicated by the same reference characters in the specification and on the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the toe form includes a cross brace I5 consisting of two sections I6 and I I and an intermediate element here shown as a plate I8. The. outer end of each section is pivotally attached to a flange I2 as by a rivet I9 and the inner end of' each section is pivotally attached to the plate I8, a rivet 20 being here provided on the plate for that purpose. The rivet 29 projects from both faces of the plate, the inner end of section l6 passing under the plate and that of the section I'I passing above the plate.

The plate I8 includes an upwardly projecting I flange 2| adapted to be grasped by the fingers to expand or contract the form by the exertion of forward or retractive force. At either side of the flange 2| are formed ears 22 and 23, the ear 22 projecting below the plate I8 and the ear 23 projecting above the plate.

When the flange 2| is pressed forwardly a toggle is formed by the sections I6 and I I of the cross brace and the walls II of the shoe form are expanded. The ears 22 and 23 bear against the sections I6 and I! respectively whereby afurther advance of the plate is opposed. By exerting a retractive force on the flange 2| the toggle is broken and the walls II are contracted.

In order to lock the sections in the expanded position, the intermediate element is modified from that previously shown and described, the ears 22' and 23' being made larger and bent into substantial parallelism with the plate I8 to form pockets which receive and yieldably hold the sections I6 and H (see Fig. 4). Hence when the toggle is made movement in either direction is opposed, being positively prevented in one direction and yieldably prevented in the other direction.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 the form IE] is provided with a cross brace 25 which comprises two sections 26 and 21, the section 26 being longer than the section 21. The outer ends of the sections are pivotally secured to the flanges 12 as by rivets 28. The inner end of section 2'! is pivotally secured to section 26 intermediate its length as by arivet 29 passed through a loop 30 formed in section 26 near its inner end. Section 26 terminates at its inner end in a loop 3| which projects upwardly as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and serves as a handle to be grasped manually to apply force which will cause the cross brace to expand or contract the walls of the form. When the walls are fully expanded the sections 26 and 21 are substantially in alignment to form a toggle (see Fig. 5). The loop 3|, under such conditions, bears against the section 21 to limit forward movement of the cross brace. Moreover, referring to Fig. 7, it will be noted that when the toggle is made any further forward movement will cause rivet 29 to attempt to swing about both rivets 28 simultaneously, an attempt which will be yieldably resisted by the loops of the sections which surround the post of the rivet.

While certain embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and that other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

I claim:

1. A shoe form having side walls and a cross brace connecting said walls and adapted to expand and contract them, said cross brace consisting of two sections pivotally secured at the outer ends to the walls and pivotally joined, said sections being brought into alignment to make a toggle and expand the walls of the form by a forwardly acting force, and being drawn out of alignment to break the toggle and contract the walls of the form by a rearwardly acting force, and means for facilitating the application of such force, such means bearing upon both sections when the toggleis made and the walls are expanded to limit the movement of the sections. 7 r

2. A shoe form having side walls and a cross brace connecting said walls and adapted to expand and contract them, said cross brace consisting of two sections pivotally secured at the outer ends to the walls and pivotally joined, said sections being brought into alignment to make a toggle and expand the walls of the form by a forwardly acting force, and being drawn out of alignment to break the toggle and contract the walls of the form by a rearwardly acting force, and means for facilitating the application of such force, such means bearing upon both sections when the toggle is made and the walls are expandedto limit the movement of the sections and releasably holding the sections in such position.

3. A shoe form having side Walls and a cross brace connecting said walls and adapted to expand and contract them, said cross brace consisting of two sections pivotally secured at the outer ends to the walls, and a plate to which the inner ends of the sections are pivotally secured and b y which force is applied to the cross b ace sec n to move them into or out of alignment to make or break a toggle and thereby expand or contract the walls, said plate being provided with ears which engage the cross brace sections when the toggle is made and limit further movement thereof.

4. A shoe form having side walls and a cross brace connecting said, walls and adapted to expand and contract them, said cross brace consisting of two sections pivotally secured at the outer ends to the Walls, and a plate to which the inner ends of the sections are pivotally secured and by which force is applied to the cross brace sections to move them into or out of alignment tomake or break a toggle and thereby expand or contract the walls, said plate being provided with ears which engage the cross brace sections when the toggle is made to oppose the movement of the cross brace sections in either direction.

5. A shoe form having side walls and a cross brace connecting said walls and adapted to expand and contract them, said cross brace consisting of two sections pivotally secured at the outer ends to the walls, and a plate to which the inner ends of the sections are pivotally secured and by which force is applied to the cross brace sections to move them into or out of alignment to make or break a toggle and thereby expand or contract the Walls, said plate being provided with ears which engage the cross brace sections when the toggle is made to oppose the movement of the cross brace sections in either direction, said ears positively preventing movement in one directionand yieldably preventing movement in the other direction.

6. A shoe form having side walls and a cross brace connecting said walls and adapted to expand and contract them, said cross brace consisting of two sections pivotally secured at the outer ends to the walls, one section being longer than the other section, means pivotally securing the inner end of the shorter section to the longer section and a loop at the end of the longer section by which force may be applied to the sections to move them into and out of substantial alignment to make or break a toggle and thereby expand or contract the walls, said loop bearing against the shorter section when the toggle is made to limit further movement of the sections in that direc-' tion.

'7. A shoe form having side walls and a cross;

and means at the inner end of the longer section by which force may be applied to the sections to move them into and out of substantial alignment to make or break a toggle and thereby expand or contract the walls, said means bearing against the shorter section when the toggle is made to limit further movement of the section in that direction,

WI LIAM J. DE WITT. 

